Conventional, general purpose flashlights may be used by civilians, police and the military and have a variety of uses. In the civilian context, flashlights are very useful in power outages or for finding things in dark areas of the home.
Small flashlights (capable of being carried on a key ring) are very useful in the context of travel. In this regard, a small key ring flashlight may be used by a driver to find the keyhole on a door lock of a car at night or to insert the car key into the ignition switch.
Key ring flashlights are also very useful in the context of security. For example, a woman returning to her car parked in a dark area may use the flashlight to look for criminals hiding in a back seat before entering her car.
Flashlights are also very useful to the police. In this regard, a flashlight may be used by a police officer to illuminate the interior of a car during a traffic stop. Such devices may also be used by a police officer to adjust his/her equipment, to send coded signals to other officers, to illuminate dark alleys or stairs or to facilitate searches of poorly lit areas.
However, the size and weight of conventional flashlights add to the inconvenience and reduce the mobility of law enforcement personnel who are often required to carry such flashlights along with other law enforcement equipment. Sometimes a flashlight may be purposely or inadvertently left behind where an officer removes equipment while in his/her car or on break in order to reduce weight and the fatigue associated with carrying such weight. This can place the safety of the officer in jeopardy when a need for the flashlight arises and the flashlight cannot be located on the person or is not readily available.
The same is true for military personnel. However, in the case of military personnel, the problem is compounded because of the need to operate independently for extended time periods without resupply.
In addition to flashlights, both police and the military are often required to carry data processing and transmission equipment. Such equipment may be necessary in order to allow police officers to research warrants or for military personnel to download maps.
Another problem for police and the military is the need for spare batteries for flashlights and data processing devices. In many cases, the weight of the spare batteries may equal or exceed the weight of the devices in which the batteries are used.
Thus, there is a need for a compact, lightweight flashlight that may be easily carried on the person of the civilian, police or members of the military and that reduces the need for spare batteries. The flashlight should be conveniently attached to one's key chain or carried on one's clothing to help ensure that the flashlight remains in the user's possession and can be easily retrieved when needed.